Hope Floats

Remember that movie? Hope Floats?

Well for us hope continues to float as we live with cancer daily. Following the first 2 cycles of the high dose IL-2, Jim's lesions in his lungs are showing response. That means, most of the them have shrunk some, granted the largest one was not even 1 cm to begin with and is now less than 1/2 of a cm. So hope floats again. It is that hope, THE HOPE, that enabled us to proceed with cycle 3 of the treatment and to return for cycle 4. Hope floats. Before we began these treatments, we thought that medically there was no treatment to have ever eradicated kidney cancer. The oncologist approached the high dose IL-2 with all of its side effects, giving a 6-8% chance of curing the cancer...hope floats. At the end of cycle 4, more scans and tests will be done to see if hope continues. If more response is seen, cycle 5 and 6 are in our future.

REGARDLESS............Hope Floats.....hope carries....hope secures....because our HOPE is in the Lord our God! He is our HOPE!! He is our only hope!!!!

Keep up with us during the treatments at www.caringbridge.org/visit/jimpatterson

A New Boulder

Well, there is a new boulder in our path. Actually the boulder is only new to us but it is NOT new to God. The small lesions that the doctors have been watching in Jim's lungs since August 2008 have grown a wee tee tiny bit plus there are 2 itsy bitsy ones. After lots of testing the doctors have concluded that the kidney cancer is in Jim's lungs. He/we will be checking into MD Anderson on July 13th for treatments with high dose IL-2. Please check out our caringbridge site and bookmark it as one you check often and sign up to receive e-mail updates. I will be using this one site to keep everyone up to date on everything. It is just too difficult to update blogs, facebook, and e-mails. We so covet your prayers; they greatly encourage us and allow us to keep moving forward....keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. Please share our site with your blog community to any and all that will pray for us as we scale this boulder. Our desire is for God to be glorified and we are begging Him to do that through Jim's healing! You can get caught up by reading all the journal entries and the "my story" section on caring bridge. Never in a million years did I think I would doing this but then, why not me?

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jimpatterson

Be sure to leave us comments! Thanks for caring/sharing/praying!

To God be the glory,
Rebecca Patterson (wife of the amazing man going through all of this)

Happy Mother's Day

Thank you to my kiddos for making me a mom...a very blessed one indeed. Without you, there would never be grand-kids! ;) I love you all....all 9 of you!!

CAUTION....EXERCISING CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH

Well, since Jim's cancer and my pre-cancerous colon polyp, I determined to become healthy and begin working out! I have done well since Feb. with a trainer but decided to rev it up a notch on Monday. I began a regime to get that fit body for summer swimsuits (HA! are you already laughing with that visual?). Ten minutes into the work-out with the trainer, I rolled my ankle and fell off an 18" inch step and tried to catch myself with my right wrist. A bruised ankle and broken wrist later, I have decided all this exercise just may not be worth the pay off! Let's see....if I calculate gym costs, trainer costs, doctor's bills, etc.....I think I am paying way more than I am seeing in physical results. Solution? Eat and catch up on the recorded television shows!! I am sporting a pink cast just for the grand-kids and girl's ministry at church! You CAN still be cool at 53!

AMAZING RACE

Jim and I got hooked on this show b/c of Jaime and Emmalie. (They secretly desire to compete on it someday.) Last night's show was hysterical!!! We haven't laughed that hard at television in a long time. The creative ways (tongue in cheek) that each team manuevered their block of cheese down the hill was entertaining to say the least. Oh my! What a stress reliever! Hurray for reality television! ;)

REGIFTING

Regifting has always bothered me. Can someone not put enough thought and effort to purchase or make a gift for someone rather than giving something they don't even want.

This had been my thought on regifting until I had a new perspective. On Jan. 13th after a visit to the oncologist to find out my husband's test results, my thought process changed. His tests were all fine, no changes from three months ago! That's a huge praise to the Lord. It hit me that God had "regifted" my spouse to me all over again. That's the kind of regifting I'm talking about! But when I thought even deeper, I realized that's what each day is....a regift to each of us...to do it better or just differently than the day before...another chance and opportunity to worship our Provider, Healer, Savior, Prince of Peace, Lover of my soul, Sustainer....on and on His attributes go. In fact He regifted to us an opportunity to spend eternity with Him after Adam and Eve sinned through His only Son.

Regifting? I think I love it!!!! What about you?

Things I've Done

Which of these have you ever done? The ones in bold are things I have done before. Some are on my "bucket list"....better get started on some of them and become a little more of a risk taker! Life is short!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (a little craft business years ago with a friend)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (I thought it was, but the guy was being careful :/)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life (I helped try once while working at Continental...)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day